That Triathlon Life Podcast

This week we have a shorter episode getting straight to questions. Nick podiums third overall at San Diego International Triathlon, feeling breathless the whole time. We get into it. Then we launch the official TTL Eddington Number Challenge (with a gift card prize), debut the Lake Placid limited edition merch, and answer your questions.

This week we discussed:

• Nick's San Diego International Triathlon recap: third overall, why be...

Paula is racing the Canadian National Time Trial Championships, so it's a bro pod, especially when Ari Klau calls in live from O'Hare Airport after his first-ever 70.3 win at Mont-Tremblant to finally explain the shoe phone celebration that baffled the entire internet. We also break down a deceptively addictive cycling metric, answer your bike tech questions, and get into open water swimming in rough conditions.

This week we discuss...

Paula wins the 70.3 North American Championship in Happy Valley, Pennsylvania. Her fourth North American title. We do a full race recap covering Paula's pre-race warmup adjustments, the bike leg where she went full throttle up a climb, fueling breakthroughs, timing chip chafe as a legitimate race threat, and shoutout to Lindee Kent for delivering the best aid station splits anyone has ever heard. Then we get into your questions.

Thi...

This week Nick races the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon for the first time. We do a full race recap, answer Instagram questions from listeners who followed along, and discuss whether the steep price tag is actually worth it. Eventually we also got to our classic listener submitted questions.

This week we discussed:

• Nick's Escape from Alcatraz race recap: the jump off the ferry, 57° Bay swim, iconic bike course, and sand ladder
• Ins...

This week we kicked things off with Eric's experience crewing for Heather Jackson at Unbound XL, 350 miles of gravel, mud, and racing through the night. Josh Amberger also made a stunning gravel debut with a fourth-place finish, and we had some thoughts on that. Then we went through listener questions. We also talked the Escape from Alcatraz donut run, compression shorts, and the best perks of being a pro athlete (or pro athlete ad...

This week we almost didn’t manage to record a podcast between travel, family visits, birthday celebrations, and Eric leaving at 5 a.m. to film Heather Jackson at Unbound XL, but skipping wasn’t an option. So instead, we went full rapid-fire mode and packed in as many listener-submitted questions as possible. We also talked fast helmets, Escape From Alcatraz, questionable podcast comments, and the latest TTL merch drop. ...

This week we hear all about Paula’s experience racing through the highs and lows of IRONMAN 70.3 Chattanooga, but not before hearing Nick’s trail running adventures in Maui, Hawaii, and getting an update from last week’s mysterious Mr. Smith. When we finally got to listener questions, we discussed:

• Washing your sweaty cycling helmet
• Riding with someone who’s always pushing the pace
• Making parts of training ...

This week we’re gearing up for Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga as Paula Findlay prepares to race this weekend. She also brought us a challenging Swim Sets With Paula before we dove into listener questions.

This week we covered:

• Sherpa-ing Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga for a pro triathlete
• Training alone vs. training with friends
• Adjusting swim sets from short course to long course
• Forbidden love between triathlon club members
• How strictly ...

This week we tackle some of the best listener questions we’ve gotten lately, including:

• How to eat before an early morning session
• Why swimming creates such strong friendships
• Tire size for triathlon vs cycling
• What events like Whiskey Tango Fondo are actually like
• When to replace cassettes, chainrings, pedals, cleats, and more
• Bilateral breathing in swimming
• How sponsorships actually work for pro athletes
• Dealing with neck pain ...

This week we got sidetracked with 2-hour marathons, trail running, photography, and more before finally diving into some Bike Tech with Eric and answering your listener questions.

On this episode:

• What it takes to switch from mechanical to electronic shifting
• Does equipment quality actually matter for training?
• How to find the right triathlon coach
• Can paddles hurt your swimming?
• Building a healthy relationship with Strava
• Solving lea...

This week, Eric and Paula talk about balancing training as professional athletes while taking care of three dogs at home. They discuss:

• Fads they’re avoiding
• Blisters: socks vs. shoes
• Safety in USA Triathlon races
• How to stay cool during a hot race
• Relationships between two elite triathletes
• Age-group drafting
• Sighting techniques for front-of-the-pack swimmers
• How long to wait for a no-show date at a run club
• Wireless shifters on ...

This week Eric and Paula toughed it out and battled through sickness to make sure we got an episode out in time. We kicked things off with a Swim Sets with Paula, briefly covered the Tour of Flanders, and then moved on to listener-submitted questions. This week we discussed:

• Shaving weight off the bike, only to add four 1-liter bottles in a race
• Our imaginary dream triathlon product
• When the juice is, or isn’t, worth the squ...

This week we dove into our experiences at IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside, an epic race that always brings intensity and attention. We then moved on to listener-submitted triathlon questions. This week we discussed:

• When to train if you're sick
• Choosing the right chainring for a strong cyclist
• How much to train on a TT bike vs a road bike for triathlon vs road racing
• How long cycling bibs last
• Cycling cadence and how to find the sweet spot
• Ho...

Just the boys this week as Paula rests up to be at her best for IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside this Saturday. Eric and Nick riff through a stack of listener questions in a semi–rapid-fire episode, covering everything from van life and bike tech to wetsuits, motivation, the Taco Bell 50K, and more.

A big thank you to our podcast supporters who keep the podcast alive! To submit a question for the podcast and to become a podcast supporte...

This week we settled right into our usual selves, Eric caught us up on what he's been up to post-op, then we whipped out our brand new white boards and used them for a newer segment called Ranks Revealed, where we ranked our favorite sweet treats 1-10, before talking about some racing, and finally getting to listener submitted questions. This week we discussed: 

• Learning how to truly push your limits without holding back in...

This week we kick things off with some running, cycling, and triathlon news from the LA Marathon, Strade Bianche, and Ironman New Zealand before doing our best to answer as many listener questions as possible. Halfway through we try out a new segment: The Newlyshreds. Let us know in the comments if you’re into it! Our questions this week brought us to discussing:

• Racing the Ironman 70.3 World Championships while injured
• Opt...

This week we kick things off with updates on Eric’s hip labrum surgery, then put him through a hip anatomy themed TTL Spelling Bee before diving into your listener-submitted questions. This week we discussed:

• Building swimming stamina from sprint to Olympic distance racing
• Our favorite strength and recovery tools
• Traveling internationally for a race: bike box or rental?
• Taking a leap of faith
• What shoes to race in on a golf co...

This week Eric tells us all about his hip labral repair surgery, recorded the very morning he heads into the operating room. He’s been dealing with this chronic injury throughout his triathlon career for nearly a decade and is finally getting it fixed. In addition to talking through the surgery, we also dove into some broader triathlon questions. This week we discussed:

• The consequences of crashing on the bike
• Navigating th...